Circus
by tastes-like-ciel
Summary: In everything they did, Lelouch was always center ring to his attention, shining in the spotlight of his eyes, and playing ringmaster to his desires.


Title: Circus

Genre: General/Romance

Rating: PG-13+

Warnings: AU-ish and AU (lol). ZeroLulu. Spunkay Skunk's Ten Song Challenge (she said I could _cheat_ and do** five** songs…so there!!!). A few curse words are used and there is some lime involved.

Summary: In everything they did, Lelouch was always center ring to his attention, shining in the spotlight of his eyes, and playing ringmaster to his desires.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. Spunkay Skunk owns the challenge idea.

Serena: (Random summary…) My brain was in a creative slump. D: I desperately wanted to write something (and work on my fics), but my brain just did not want to give me anything!! [flails] So, I thought I would try something different to get my brain's creative juices flowing again by trying this out and it worked!!! My brain loves me again!! I read Spunkay Skunk's _The Demon and His White Knight_ and I thought that the challenge idea was awesome!! Also, Spunkay Skunk's fic was really great, too!! I definitely recommend that you read it. ^^ If you want to see the challenge's rules, they are in that fic. I decided to do the ZeroxLelouch pairing…because I wanted to. xD And that pairing needs more love.

-X-X-X-X-

**1: For You I Will - Teddy Geiger** (Romance)

It was a strange feeling, knowing that you existed. But if he thought about _not_ existing for too long, an even stranger feeling would arise and he would automatically cease thinking about it.

He existed. He did not want to lose that reality.

He existed…because a boy created him.

An _amazingly_ beautiful and intelligent boy with an equally alluring name: Lelouch.

When the topic of existing wasn't probing at the epicenter of his thoughts, Lelouch was the only thing on his mind.

He wanted the two of them to meet in person, face to face. He wanted to be able to reach out and touch the boy, to run his fingers through those dark locks of hair that he liked to watch the other twist around his slender fingers. (He wondered what they would feel like. They looked so soft and smooth, like they were made out of the finest silk that Heaven could fashion.)

He wanted to talk to the boy. With such a brilliant--beautiful--mind, he knew that Lelouch could provide him with engaging conversations on various topics. (He really just wanted to be able to hear the other speak. He would be content with allowing the other to do all the talking if that meant he could listen to him. The boy's voice could be so many different things: monotonous, commanding, friendly, loving, sweet…just whatever the boy wanted his voice to convey. Such control was admirable, but he personally loved to hear him flustered.)

Existing was a godsend, but was it too much to ask for a real body? (He was already in love with his creator's mind and the boy's appearance was easy enough to adore, but he wanted a chance to show this love to the other.)

He could not count the number of times he had stared at the boy, watching his every movement and storing it in his memory. (Lelouch's eyes were like liquid pools of shimmering amethyst that he had trouble looking away from. Not that he minded. Those eyes were certainly worth drowning in.)

Sometimes that girl--who ate pizza like it would be gone the next day--would turn her cat-like amber irises in his direction and would just stare, like she knew he was there. She would never say anything nor would she give any sort of indication that she really _was_ staring at him, but he expected that. The girl kept things to herself and would usually never answer any of his creator's questions. (He found that rather annoying. That girl _should_ answer the boy's questions…or at the very least, she should stop wandering around his Lelouch _in her underwear_!!)

It was all so very frustrating, looking but not touching, wanting but not obtaining. For as much as he loved his creator's mind--and he truly did--, he wanted _out_. He was sick of being nothing more than an invisible presence hovering by Lelouch's side. Day after day he had to suffer through watching Lelouch _speak_ to _other_ people. He had to watch him be _touched_ by _other_ people. (Never mind that the touches were friendly. _Any_ touches that _he_ did not give the other _irked_ him to no end. Perhaps he was being _just a tad _too possessive, but _damn it_, it just wasn't fair!!)

'_I don't want to be invisible anymore._'

If only there was some way he could manifest himself fully. If only there was some way he could break away from the ghostly barrier that was separating him from his darling Lelouch.

As he stood there staring into the sparkling violet waters of the river flowing below him, he saw the water's surface ripple violently as a painful gust of wind stabbed at its surface.

It only ever did that when the boy felt pain.

'_What is going on out there?_' he wondered, taking a step away from the river to look back at the growing darkness.

He knew that Lelouch had accepted his sister's invitation to appear at the Special Administrative Zone of Japan--a destined failure, if you asked him--and that the two were having a private meeting together.

He was not particularly fond of Lelouch's siblings--Nunnally the only exception--and this one, Euphemia, was no different, but he had to give the girl some credit. In her own way, she was trying to make the world better. This plan of hers sounded nice, but someone would destroy it. Maybe not now and maybe not a couple of years from now, but one day, it would fail.

Perhaps it just had?

He felt his concern for Lelouch grow as thunder rumbled in the distance. Dark clouds were choking out the moonlight and the scent of fresh rain was filtering through his mask. (Absence of light always meant that Lelouch was feeling helpless. The dark clouds and the coming rain always meant that Lelouch was in a state of depression.)

He knew that there was little that he could do to help--if help was indeed need and he felt that his creator was in desperate need of it at the moment--, but he felt an obligation to go regardless. He wanted to protect Lelouch in any way that he could, but his ghostly state prevented him from physically being there for the boy. (The only thing he could do was provide mental protection. Any form of mind control would not affect Lelouch as long as he was able to concentrate on pushing the outside influence back. Geass, for example, could be counteracted as long as he fought against it. So if anyone dared use it on his creator, they would be in for a surprise.)

At the least, he could watch over the boy--even if it hurt to see him hurt.

So he left the confines of his creator's mind and materialized in the outside world…just in time to see Euphemia dashing away with a gun clutched in her hand.

He could hear frantic thoughts rushing through Lelouch's head all at once.

'_My Geass!! Why didn't C.C. tell me that it was possible?!! I thought I could control it!! I didn't mean it as an order!!! Euphemia!!!_'

Just as he watched Lelouch reach down to grab the Zero mask, his creator's eyes flickered over to his invisible presence and the boy froze, the mask slipping out of his grasp as he stared.

This sudden change in behavior startled him.

Lelouch was looking right at him--one eye violet and the other glowing a brilliant red--…but…

Then it hit him.

'_I see. His Geass power must have grown._'

And as a result, it granted him the power that he needed to fully materialize out in the real world.

The word "ecstatic" did not properly explain how he felt at the moment.

Lelouch certainly had no idea what to think or feel upon seeing his alter ego standing before him.

And Zero did not really know what to say…because he wanted to say so much.

So he said the first thing that came to mind and was content with that for the time being.

"Nice to finally meet you, Lelouch."

**2: Chicks Dig Giant Robots - Deathwish IX** (AU/Crack)

Lelouch may have not been a girl--although, he certainly had the physique of one--and he may have not been particularly fond of fighting, but even he had to admit that Knightmares were a definite favorite of his.

Zero supposed that it was Lelouch's mother who had caused the liking to materialize.

Lelouch's mother used to be an ace pilot in her younger years--Marianne the Flash, they called her. She fought against other pilots and slayed alien threats with the utmost ease.

And she did it without so much as one hair becoming out of place.

According to Lelouch, he had accompanied her on many of her piloting missions despite the obvious danger--she even let him fire off a few weapons for his own enjoyment. (He had to wonder if Lelouch's infamous evil smirks were genetic because that woman had perfected the art of producing them--he knew this because he had been on the receiving end of her looks many, many times.)

While Zero could not commend her for her _excellent_ parenting skills, he was certainly glad that she had instilled a love of the machines into Lelouch. The two probably would not have met otherwise.

Zero heard an aggravated sigh from the seat above him and he resisted the urge to snort.

"That damn witch!! Does she not know what the hell a plate is?!"

Apparently, C.C. had smothered pizza grease all over the Gawain's controls again. (Lelouch _hated_ when she did that. He was such a neat freak that Zero swore the boy had OCD…and he probably did--in fact, he was sure that he did.)

He heard the sound of the other's footsteps as the boy climbed down from the greasy mess above, muttering a string of curses under his breath. When he was close enough, Zero stretched an arm out to grab hold of the back of Lelouch's shirt and he yanked the unsuspecting teenager into his awaiting lap.

Lelouch made an indignant little squeak at the sudden motion and a blush spread across his pale cheeks before he turned a glare up at his "assailant".

"_Why_ do you always do that?!" he demanded as he tried to push himself off the other's lap.

Zero would not have that, however.

The taller man snaked his arms around the boy's waist and hugged him closer to his chest.

"Because it's funny." he answered, amusement coating his tone.

Lelouch scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Oh…bite me." he said, for lack of having anything else to say.

He was still too upset at C.C.'s greasy mess to bother coming up with a proper response to Zero's statement. (Honestly, how hard was it to understand? Did the witch not know how hard it was to remove pizza grease and its accompanying smell? It took _days_ of scrubbing and _cans_ of air freshener to make it all go away!)

"That sounds like fun."

A gloved hand slipped under the hem of Lelouch's shirt, its fingers fluttering up his side as another set of fingers threaded through his silky locks of hair.

"Do you want to do it here~?" Zero purred as he nuzzled Lelouch's neck. "Or…oh!! We could sneak into Lloyd's little baby and give it a proper _christening_~."

Lelouch's cheeks were never more red than they were the moment Zero had finished his _lovely_ suggestion.

"ZERO!!!"

**3. Rockstar - Nickleback** (AU/Humor)

Let it never be said that Lelouch Lamperouge hated music. Quite the contrary actually.

He _loved_ music of all kinds.

Classical music was among his top favorites and the piano and the violin were among his favorite instruments. He had a natural talent for producing amazing piano sonatas and he could make a violin sing like no other could.

Music studios wanted him and orchestras pined after his musical masterpieces. (While such attention did wonders for his pride and made his family quite proud of him, he seldom accepted such offers; however, he _had_ written a few symphonies for the Britannia Symphony Orchestra.)

So no. Music was not what he hated.

Certain musicians--a certain very attractive rockstar to be more specific--was another matter entirely. These musicians and their holier-than-thou attitudes pissed him off. They thought that just because girls flocked to them in screaming droves that they were the sexiest things since sex itself.

Bastards. Every one of them. (Well, that was actually a lie. The only bastard among them that he openly called "a bastard" was deserving of the title. Lelouch did not know all of this man's kind…so he could not say that they were _all_ bad.)

Honestly, who died and made _him_ god of the music world?

The way he carried himself one would think that the man had been given the keys to the Playboy mansion--the rockstar equivalent to receiving the Noble Prize.

"Dreaming about your late night lover?"

Amused giggles brought him out of his musings and he sent a heated glare across the table.

"_Shut up._" he seethed. "This is _your_ fault, C.C.!"

That's right. It was C.C. who had thrown him into this mess. _She_ was the one who had put the idea into Zero's head that he had an interest in him. (It did not help matters that Zero had apparently already had his eyes on him from the start. C.C.'s lies just added more wood to the fire.)

Sitting across their round table with one arm propped on top and a cigarette dangling between her thin fingers sat an attractive--demonic--young woman. Her lime-green tresses cascaded around her curvy frame as her amber-colored irises danced with amusement and mischief.

"Oh, don't get your panties in a bunch, _Lulu_." she said, using that effeminate nickname in a mocking tone.

He sincerely hoped that the witch had not let that embarrassing nickname slip to Zero.

The two were apparently old friends--best friends--and as hard as it was for him to picture C.C. being so chummy with another human being, he also found it hard to believe that she had _not_ divulged all his secrets to the rocker. (Such as his fear of spiders that she just _loved_ to hang over his head, especially when she wanted something. She had a pet tarantula, after all. And that thing obeyed her _every_ command.)

(She scared the hell out of him one night by letting the thing loose within his room. He ran crying to his younger sister, Nunnally, who was sympathetic to his problem and even offered to squash the creature. _"Does brother want his wittle sister to squash the big mean bug?"_)

C.C. shifted in her seat, leaning back as she crossed one leg over the other--and consequentially allowing the slit along the side of her dress to expose more of her thigh. She tapped the ash off the end of her cigarette before she stuck it into her mouth and took a short drag.

"You should be thanking me." she said at last, tendrils of smoke flowing out of her mouth as she spoke.

Lelouch's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"_Thanking you_?" he repeated incredulously.

"Yes. Thanking me." C.C. responded with a nod. "You don't have to actually say the words, though. A pizza will do just as nicely."

The nerve of this girl. Just _what_ reason should he be _thanking_ her?! She took advantage of his weaknesses and dragged him into clubs and cafés against his will. Never mind that many of the cafés she dragged him to were actually quite nice. The atmosphere's were soothing and the music they played was very relaxing. This current café that they were in carried the delicious aroma of coffee and fresh cakes and the soft piano music being played in the background by the café owner's daughter kept him at ease despite his--C.C.'s--reason for being here. (He had been dragged to this particular café enough times to get to know the owner, Joseph Fenette, and his daughter, Shirley. Mr. Fenette was a very kind man and he was very open to all sorts of things. Shirley was a pretty redhead with a gift for playing the piano. If she really wanted to, she could pursue a career in music, but she seemed to be content with playing in her father's café.)

"For _what_?" Lelouch demanded, crossing his arms with a huff. "For trying to hook me up with a _stranger_?…_again_?"

"He isn't a stranger." C.C. insisted. "And you can complain all you want to, but you had a chance to back out and didn't take it."

"I _never_ have a chance. If I had of insisted on not allowing you to drag me here, you would have commanded your little demon to attack me." Lelouch stated, shivering at the thought of C.C.'s little pet crawling along his leg. "And he _is_ a stranger. I know _nothing_ about him."

C.C. rolled her eyes at him and took another short drag off her cigarette.

"You're so uptight." she commented as more smoke curled into the air. "Getting laid will do you a world of good."

Lelouch's face flushed at her statement and his mouth opened in shock.

"Y-Y-You…"

C.C. just smirked and bit back a laugh at his expression. Lelouch was such a little virgin. All sorts of appalled thoughts were undoubtedly running through his mind. Meeting Zero would be good for him. (Lelouch would have no way of knowing because he refused to give the rocker the time of day, but Zero was actually a very nice person. He just acted the way he did for appearances sake. His fans loved it when he sauntered around with well-endowed and highly attractive young women by his side. His scandalously fleeting romances never failed to make the front page and his fans ate up the gossip surrounding him faster than a cheetah could run.)

(It was all just a mask Zero used to please the public. If he wanted to, he could remove it to show Lelouch his true face, the one only C.C. herself ever saw these days. But the man was stubborn, a trait he and Lelouch shared. He may not remove it for Lelouch as he did with her. Still, it was worth a try.)

"C.C., you are--"

Lelouch was effectively cut off as a tall figure suddenly leaned over and placed--more like _stole_--a kiss against Lelouch's lips before they quickly seated them self in the available seat between Lelouch and C.C. like nothing had ever happened.

Well, speak of the devil.

Lelouch's eyes were wide and a hand was covering his gaping mouth as a bright blush was taking residence upon his cheeks.

C.C. sent an approving nod in the new arrival's direction and the figure just smiled in a carefree manner before his smile turned seductive and he sent Lelouch a little wink.

C.C. was right. The boy was _very_ cute when he blushed like that.

**4. Black and White Genealogy - Len Kagamine** (Angst/Lime)

Geass.

A supernatural power that defied all logic and followed no earthly rule. It was a mystery shrouded in secrets and lies and the only fundamental truth it held was that it granted its bearer untold power. That power was different for each person, but it did hold to one consistent fact.

It isolated its bearers.

Love. (_"Nothing was real. The Geass forced them to love her. Eventually, she forgot what love was."_)

Mind Reading. (_"Your mind is so quiet. We were meant to be together, C.C.!!"_)

Stop Time. (_"My heart stops every time I use my Geass. But for Niisan…it's worth it."_)

Total Obedience.

(_"…there's no one left who cares anymore…is there?"_)

But even things that are proven to be true countless times can be proven false every once in a while.

Kisses were being placed against his jaw line by a pair of moist lips. The lips were gentle in their caresses and precise in their movements, but they kept to a slow pace as they traveled up to his awaiting lips. (They brushed against his lips so tenderly, so lovingly that when they moved away--though barely an inch separated them--he wished for their return.)

"You don't have to." the other said, one hand slipping up to cup his cheek.

He was pulled into a short kiss. It was gentle and seemed to last much longer than it truly did, but it was filled with a desperation that the other would not voice, a wish that they both knew could not be fulfilled. (And once again, he found himself wishing for those lips to remain against his when they pulled away from him.)

The hand cupping his cheek began to rub the skin underneath his eye soothingly. (The same eye that contained the same power that had managed to bring them together.)

Those seductively inviting lips turned upward into a small smile.

"Stay with me." the other whispered.

His eyes narrowed and his eyebrows knit together as he looked away from those pleading eyes. (Those eyes always gave him a sense of belonging, a sense of empowerment. They were sharp and commanding to others, but were always soft and kind to him. They promised him love and they swore protection, something that no one else would truly and openly give him now.)

'_I can't. You know I can't._'

The thumb rubbing against his cheek began to become damp as tears fell from his eyes. Those enticing lips fell into a saddened downward curve.

"I'm sorry." the other said in apology. "Please don't cry, Lelouch."

'_But tomorrow, I'll never see you again._'

He was pulled into another kiss, this one lasting much longer and rising in fervor as both of them pushed all their feelings into it.

This was the last night that they could be together and they were trying to make the most of it…but did Zero really have to ask that question?

'_I can't stay with you._'

Lelouch snaked his arms around the other's neck and fisted his hands into the man's hair.

'_But I really want to._'

Zero pulled away from him, earning a disappointed little groan from Lelouch that made his eyes gleam mischievously. He placed a kiss against Lelouch's forehead before he moved downward and began to place a trail of kisses down the teen's neck.

This was their last night…because tomorrow the "Demon Emperor" would fall and Lelouch would be six-feet underground where no one could reach him--_if_ they decided _not_ to burn his body out of hatred and that was a distinct possibility.

Zero's question just made his heart ache.

If he could remove who he was, if he could throw away his demonic mask created for the world's sake, if he could…he would stay.

But he could not do that and they both knew this to be an unchangeable truth.

Lelouch squirmed slightly as Zero's lips reached his chest, that devilish tongue of his flicking out to tease two little sensitive areas that he deemed needed immediate attention. (That was not entirely true, though. Zero just _loved_ to hear the adorable--_embarrassing_--little mewls that Lelouch would make and took great joy in teasing the young emperor about it later on. _"I think you should wear a cat costume next time."_)

Zero lingered at those sensitive spots for a ridiculous amount of time while his fingers traced little circles against the tops of Lelouch's hips. The touches were reducing the young emperor to a writhing mess of squirming limbs and purring noises. (But that was what Zero was aiming for. He wanted Lelouch to writhe and squeal as much as possible tonight. He wanted to solidify those adorable sounds and movements within his memory so that he could relive them over and over again.)

"Z-Zero." Lelouch whined, tugging against the locks of hair tangled around his fingers.

He was becoming a bit annoyed by the other man's teasing. The heat against chest was driving him insane and those light touches moving against his hips were making his skin tingle in a pleasant--but maddening--way. He understood that this was their last night together, but honestly!!

He could feel Zero's lips twist into an amused smirk and he felt the other male shift, strands of hair tickling his neck as a kiss was pressed against his collarbone. Zero's hands remained at his hips, those fingers continuing on with their slow movements.

"Perhaps I should tease you somewhere else?" Zero suggested.

His hands began to move downward, his fingertips lightly brushing against sensitive skin as they wandered over to a particular area that was demanding his attention.

Another adorable little mewl slipped past Lelouch's rosy lips as those fluttering fingers brushed against that sensitive area and Zero's smirk widened at the reaction.

"Oh? Right _here_?" he asked, feigning innocence as he ran his fingers along the length of organ.

Lelouch moaned and squirmed at the touches. Pressure was building within him and he could feel a warmth pooling within his abdomen. (Zero's touches always did this to him. He made him feel things that he wasn't used to feeling and made him say things that he wasn't used to saying.)

But the touches were done out of love and that was a truth that put Lelouch at ease.

The touches told Lelouch that there was someone in this world who still cared for him, someone who saw beyond that demonic mask to see his true self, someone who still truly and honestly loved him.

Knowing that made it a bit easier--yet simultaneously harder--for him to proceed with the next day's events, but he played the "Demon Emperor" act flawlessly and he left the world feeling a little less sad that day.

As for Zero…Lelouch had to leave him behind. Not because he wanted to, but because Zero's presence within the world was still needed. (And Lelouch was under the impression that Zero would be of great help to Suzaku.)

While Lelouch was not wrong in thinking Zero a valuable asset to aid Suzaku in the coming years, he was wrong in thinking that the two would see past their differences and work together.

Because the moment Lelouch stopped breathing, Zero's hatred for the brunet only grew. (Because Suzaku _murdered_ his darling creator, the only person he would ever love throughout the course of his existence.)

(_"Hallucinating is a real pain in the ass, isn't it Kururugi."_)

**5. Red - Elbow** (AU/Family/Tragedy)

He had to wonder sometimes--within the confines of his mind, because his brother would not approve of such thoughts--whether he would ever be able to leave this place. He knew that in one way or another he _would _leave, but he hoped that he would be in the company of his brother and not alone, as he feared would be the case.

"_Lelouch, don't say things like that!"_

He could practically hear his twin's voice scolding him, telling him to stop thinking such pessimistic and morbid thoughts.

"_You're not going to die!"_

Then why did he feel so tired all of the time? Why was he always so sick and frail day after day? Some days, it hurt just to breathe and other days, he was too sick to even move.

Today was one of his better days, though. He could breathe without the aid of a machine and he could move without feeling any pain. It was days like these in which he thought that perhaps he was getting better. He thought that maybe he was being given a second chance at life. (He had been sick ever since his middle school years. Everyone had been so frightened when he had suddenly started coughing up blood during class. Truthfully, he had not been feeling too well days before the incident, but the sickness had not seemed too severe at the time.)

But then the day would pass and night would fall. His eyelids would grow heavy and his limbs would feel weak. His breath would shorten and his heartbeat would slow. (That was about the time when his nurses and doctor would come bursting through the door. He never remembered anything after that because he would pass out around the same time that this loud beeping noise would sound. And the next day, his brother would enter the room with a forced smile and distraught eyes.)

Perhaps today would be different, though. Perhaps he wouldn't feel so tired and maybe he wouldn't feel any pain.

Famous last words, as they say.

(_"You were supposed to come back home with me, Lelouch."_

"_He's in a better place now, you know. He isn't hurting anymore."_

"_I know…I know that, Suzaku…but it isn't fair. He was too young!!_")

But for now, though, he was feeling better. The doctor even said that he could take a walk outside if he was feeling up to it. Lelouch felt that he was. It would be a nice change to see the outside world without a barrier of glass in his way for once, but he wanted to wait until his brother arrived. The older sibling had mentioned over the phone that he was bringing someone along with him, an old friend who was anxious to see him.

-X-X-X-X-

Serena: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SOMEONE FOLLOW UP ON THE ROCKSTAR IDEA!!! I'll even beta it for you!!!! D:….ahem…anyway…most of these ideas ended up being AU. xD My iTunes gave me a strange combination of songs (and you have no idea how much I laughed when that second song came up). I like them all, but I think my favorites are 3 and 4. While number 4 is not the first lime that I've ever written (second, actually), it _is_ the first I've ever shown anyone…so…how did I do on it? It needs work, doesn't it. I think it does…but what is it lacking? Does it need more details? Or something else? Please let me know what you think.

ANYWAY, what do you think? :D Which ones were your favorites? Which ones would you like to see more of? I love to hear all your opinions, so please tell me. ^^


End file.
